Showbiz Roundup: Mother Lily Monteverde’s death; Niña Jose’s warning

Regal Entertainment founder Mother Lily Monteverde’s death last August 4 brought a tremendous loss to Philippine showbiz, as she stood as one of the pillars of the industry and the force behind the successful careers of many celebrities, as well as produced over 300 films.

Meanwhile, Bayambang mayor and “Pinoy Big Brother” alum Niña Jose piqued the interest of netizens after giving a stern warning against “itchy girls” who surround her husband, Cesar Quiambao, in a now-deleted post.

Catching up with the latest entertainment buzz? Look no further as we review the highlights of the showbiz scene from August 2 to 8.

Mother Lily Monteverde, 85

Lily Monteverde, founder of Regal Entertainment and one of the longstanding pillars of the Philippine entertainment industry, died at 85.

Fondly known as “Mother Lily,” Monteverde’s death was confirmed by her son Goldwin Monteverde to GMA last August 4. She would have turned 86 on the 19th of the month. Regal Entertainment said in a statement that Mother Lily died at around 3:18 a.m.

“She has not only been a mother to her children but also the ‘Mother’ to so many generations of Filipino filmmakers who have helped define what Philippine cinema is today. Even to her final years, Mother Lily has served as one of the cornerstones of the movie industry, providing opportunities to filmmakers — both creative and technical — to carve their names in our popular history,” Regal said.

Mother Lily’s death came barely a week after the passing of her husband Leonardo “Father Remy” Monteverde last July 29. He was brought to his final resting place on August 3.

Born Lily Yu Chu, Mother Lily founded the film and television company Regal Entertainment in August 1962. She served as its president and CEO until her death. Meanwhile, her daughter Roselle is the COO and vice president of the company.

She has produced over 300 films throughout her career, and was one of the pillars behind the successful careers of Gabby Concepcion, Dina Bonnevie, Alma Moreno, Snooky Serna, Jimmy Melendez, Albert Martinez, William Martinez, and Maricel Soriano, among many others.

Among her many awards included the Ina ng Pelikulang Pilipino Award in 2017 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 by the FDCP.

Mother Lily’s wake was held at 38 Valencia Events Place from August 5 to 9, while her interment took place last August 10 at The Heritage Park.

Niña’s warning to ‘itchy girls’

Niña Jose gave a curious “warning” to “itchy girls” who apparently surround her husband, Cesar Quiambao, with Jose stressing how protective she is of what’s hers.

Jose made public her message via Facebook last August 8, although the Bayambang mayor appears to have taken down her post a few hours after sharing it. Screenshots of it, however, have already been re-uploaded.

“Warning: I say this because sa mundong ito, panahon nanaman ng mga itchy girls at higad. As a wife, I will always protect what is mine… So do not ever, ever, ever try to cross what’s mine. Because I will find you. You know who you are,” she said without naming whom she was addressing.

Jose and Quiambao, who share a more than 30-year age gap, tied the knot twice in 2017 — the first in a civil ceremony in January and the second in a church wedding in November that year.

Ryza dismayed at new home

Ryza Cenon admitted that she was dissatisfied with the outcome of the construction of her new house, lamenting how they encountered problems including cracks in the walls, stairs, and even the main door.

The actress opened up about this as she explained why she only gave a tour of her home just now, as seen in a vlog on August 2.

“Maraming nangyari. Mahigit two years sigurong ginagawa ‘yung bahay. Nagkaroon din ng problem and stress ako. Buti na lang talaga nagpakalbo ako kung hindi lagas lagas na ‘yung buhok ko,” she quipped.

“Hindi pa gaanong nade-design ‘yung bahay at hindi pa kumpleto ‘yung mga gamit. Ang hirap kumpletuhin kasi palabas-pasok kami sa bahay,” she said as she showed parts of it. “May times na di muna kami dito titira, magche-check in muna kami sa hotel dahil gagawin ‘yung bahay dahil merong sira.”

Cenon recalled how their family stayed in a hotel for about a month while the repairs were ongoing. She also noted that until now, there are still parts of their home that need to be fixed but haven’t been attended to yet.

“Lumipat kami nung February then madaming naging problems na ginawa, pinalitan ng contractors. Ang dami kasing nagcrack na walls, meron din sa stairs. Nagcrack ‘yung mga wood pati ‘yung main door. In fairness naman sa contractor, hindi naman sila ‘yung parang hindi na kami pinapansin. Pumupunta naman sila dito para ayusin,” she said.

Cenon admitted that they were not able to closely monitor the house construction since it was during the height of the pandemic. Nonetheless, Cenon underscored that she was hoping for quality construction as she spent a lot of money on it.

“Medyo hindi kami gano’ng ka-happy do’n sa naging outcome nung pinaka-finishing nung bahay. Panget mang pakinggan pero parang hindi siya new house kasi hindi siya malinis… Parang mukha siyang ni-renovate na house. Parang gano’n ‘yung feel,” she said. “Kapag kayo naman po ‘yung nagpagawa [ng bahay], at least alam niyo na po ‘yung first step — maging mapanuri sa pagkuha ng contractor.”

Richard, Annabelle seen at Barbie’s birthday party

Richard Gutierrez and his mother, Annabelle Rama, were among the guests at the 26th birthday party of rumored girlfriend Barbie Imperial.

On Instagram last August 2, Vina Morales shared videos and photos from the party. In one of the videos she posted, Imperial is shown giving a speech on stage, while Gutierrez can be seen watching and sitting in front of Morales.

In another video, singer Joey G is performing “Don’t Know What to Say (Don’t Know What to Do)” onstage, and in the background, Imperial and Gutierrez are seated beside each other.

Morales also panned the video to Gutierrez’s mom, who willingly smiled at the camera.

Gutierrez and Imperial sparked dating rumors after they were seen getting cozy at a gastropub in Alabang last January, followed by a viral sighting in South Korea in May.

The actor’s estranged wife, Sarah Lahbati confirmed their split in March 2024. She also told reporters the following month that she had “no reaction” to Gutierrez’s rumored romance.

Rosmar’s daily expenses

Filipina vlogger Rosmar Tan shared that she realized she was already “rich” when she could afford to spend P1 million to P2 million in a day.

“Para po sa ‘kin, siguro ‘yung expenses ko sa isang araw, eh parang milyon, gano’n, na parang never kong kinita before,” she told Karen Davila in an interview.

Tan underscored that she handled many businesses before, but it was only through live selling during the pandemic that her income skyrocketed, and now she can afford to spend P1 million to P2 million in one day.

“Ang dami kong business, may pet shop, may samgyupsal, restaurant, ukayan, fish store, parang lahat na po, ginawa kong business. Halos sabay-sabay pa ‘yon na never kong kinita. Pero ngayon, imagine niyo ‘yung 1M or 2M, minsan expenses ko na lang po sa isang araw,” she shared.

Tan also clarified her previous statement in the interview where she revealed that she earns 13 million pesos per day, saying her income is distributed to people. “Ang inaaffliate ko po non mga distributors ko sa kanila po parang pumapasok ‘yung kita. Ako po nagdadada lang ako sa live.”

Bianca and Sherwin’s kiss photo

Bianca Manalo and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian joked about not having any manners after a photo of them kissing at the Senate of the Philippines went viral.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara shared a photo of himself giving a speech on Instagram, but the affectionate Gatchalian and Manalo caught the attention of netizens.

“Madami palang na enganyo sa huling talumpati ko sa Senado — I was told I bring people together,” wrote Angara in his caption.

Manalo and Gatchalian reacted to the photo in the comments.

“Hahaha! Bagsak kami sa [we failed in] good manners and right conduct, Mr. Secretary. [laughing emoji] I didn’t see the camera was focused to the back,” said the senator. Manalo simply wrote, “Oh my gosh.”

“Ayos lang, Mr. Chairman! Madami lang nainggit. Sana all daw [laughing emoji],” responded Angara.

Manalo also shared the kiss photo on her Instagram along with other images from her visit to the Senate.

“First time to visit [Sherwin Gatchalian] at the Senate floor today… I had to leave already, because I have a play to watch at the GSIS theater, which is behind the Senate building. We kissed goodbye. We didn’t know we would be seen on the monitor while Secretary Sonny was having his goodbye speech,” she said.

Direk Joey on Carlos’ ‘drama queen mother’

FDCP chairman and CEO Jose “Joey” Javier Reyes urged the media to ignore the “drama queen mother” of Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and their family squabble, so as not to diminish his victory.

Yulo’s mother, Angelica, seemingly stole the limelight from her son following her recent social media posts that allegedly undermined his successful gymnastics campaign at the Paris Olympics.

Angelica then went on to be interviewed by Bombo Radyo Philippines where she voiced out her disapproval of her son’s girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose.

This interest in Yulo’s personal life, as reported by the media, tended to overshadow the pride that the nation has for the world champion, said Reyes.

“My dear colleagues in media: He just lifted the spirit of the nation by winning two Olympic gold medals. The people are overwhelmed with pride and joy. So please don’t give media space to a drama queen mother who wants to tarnish the moment of glory of her own son regardless of personal reason,” he said.

The FDCP chairman also hoped stories aiming to show more of Angelica’s story would be “collectively ignored.” “She and her narrative should be collectively ignored. Mabuhay ka, Caloy! Mabuhay ang mga atletang Pilipino,” he said.

Film producer Malou Choa-Fagar and singer-songwriter Jim Paredes agreed with Reyes’ sentiment in the comments.

Last August 6, Angelica’s legal counsel Raymond Fortun said that she’s eyeing to seek help from the National Bureau of Investigation and take legal action against those spreading libelous accusations against her in a statement.